Tuesday, January 10, 2012

The BCS is about to be pulled off the respirator. The strange amalgam of profit motive, computer dweebiness and institutional corruption has one more year before it goes in the ground.

Fine.

But don't for a second think that the flaws in the system overshadow the verdict delivered on the field Monday night.

Alabama won its second championship in three years by routing LSU, a 21-0 sleeper hold that did little for TV ratings, but put this team and coach Nick Saban in the record books. AP voters who had threatened a revolt to bring about a split championship largely fell into line. The Tide's domination gave them little choice.

And yet the Occupy BCS critics, though in far fewer numbers, were back waving their signs this morning, choosing once again to concentrate on the flaws of a system rather than the superiority of a particular team in college football's winner-takes-all stage.

Alabama was that good. In November, the Tide exposed the one flaw in LSU's arsenal -- the lack of a balanced offense. This time they fully exploited it. When LSU couldn't run, quarterback Jordan Jefferson had no hope of consistently throwing the ball down the field. It would have taken a big play -- Alabama's extraordinary defense gave the Tigers no air to breathe -- or a transformational mistake -- unlike November, the Tide was not in a giving mood -- for the tide, so to speak, to change.

Next season, Alabama and LSU will contend for the last BCS title. Alabama will lose key players across what might be the best college defense of all time. LSU needs to find a quarterback. If it does, the Tigers will be awfully hard to beat.

But so will Alabama, and Arkansas, and Florida and Georgia, and Texas A&M on the road, and on and on and on. It's the SEC, after all. Big Boy stuff. And whatever the new system, that's not likely to change.

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comments:

I really hate Alabama. Like that does me any good. And the complete domination they are doing in recruiting this year makes it even worse. Oh, well, at least there will be little reason to invest in cases of Maalox, as 'Bama will win 4 Iron Bowls and at least 1 more national title in the next 4 years. But I'd better invest heavily in Pepto Bismol. At least we no longer have Ted Roof to botch the defense. So we'll only lose the Iron Bowls 31-14 instead of 42-14. Roll Tide. Ugh.

Yes, Alabama dominated a team with no offense, but a schedule that includes wins over Kent State, North Texas, Georgia Southern outside the SEC, bottom feeding Vandy, Miss, Miss State and Tennessee in conference--only quality wins were Penn State, who turns out to be mediocre, Auburn (very mediocre) and Arkansas (great record with equally lame schedule) did not deserve to be in championship game. Don't tell me they only lost to LSU--Clemson could have played that schedule and only lost to LSU. Yes, the SEC is the best conference, but no Georgia, no SC on Schedule? OSU would have run away from LSU--and I am no fan of theirs, just telling the truth.

1) Stop talking to Harvey Updyke. Not only is he clouding your judgment, he'll start calling you collect when he gets to jail.2) See a doctor.3) Zoloft. Paxil. Lexapro. Prozac. Ask for one.4) Get some sleep.

The Bama defense versus LSU played the best game I've ever seen a college team play. But I need to talk about UGA now that everything is said and done (not that anybody cares). We played 4 teams this year that finished in the top 25 and lost to all of them. We played 10 teams not ranked in the top 25 and beat all of them. This year's greatness was smoke and mirrors. I saw some guy on ESPN this week talking about next year's top 5 in the nation and he had UGA # 3. You know what that means? It means the UGA fans are going to be more disappointed next year than they have been for the past 3. The Dawgs may be # 3 on paper with 15 starters returning but Mark Richt and his coaching staff are not capable of winning the SEC, much less finishing 3rd nationally. I'm ready to fire Richt today if we could convince Kirby Smart, Bama defensive coordinator and UGA alum, to be our head coach. But it ain't gonna happen because the UGA Athletic Director and the UGA President have fallen for Richt's smoke and mirrors season hook line and sinker.

Joe Strauss is the lead baseball writer for the St. Louis Post Dispatch, but football surfaces in his baseball chats, and I imagine we'll see more, with an SEC slant, in the months ahead.

Slip Kid: JoeThat was an anti-climatic BCS title game the other night. Surely Okie State with their high powered offense could have dented the end zone at least once against the Tide. Maybe even given them more of a battle then the vaunted Tigers did, what say you?thxJoe Strauss: I say two offenses that looked pedestrian against one another Monday would have put up a pinball score against the OK State defense. A two touchdown outcome, at least. To me, Stanford outclassed the Okies. The Cardinal just forgot to win the game. 'Bama-LSU was big boy football. LSU's defense played very well also. However, Bama's dominance deprived the game of electricity.

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Michael Gordon

Allegiance: Alabama
Favorite player: Johnny Musso . . . The Italian Stallion -- Sylvester Stallone is a plagiarist -- played more often in torn garb than the Incredible Hulk. (Musso was also a better blocker.)

Possibly disturbing fact: Trash-talked the infant son of Auburn friends after the kid projectile vomited in my living room the instant after an Alabama touchdown.

Possibly disturbing fact: Have an original 45 of “The Ballad of Archie Who” on the wall at home, right by the “Drink Barq’s – It’s Good” sign.

Courtney St. Onge

Allegiance: Auburn

Favorite player: Bo

Possibly disturbing fact: Had picture taken with Terry Bowden at a meet-and-greet following his undefeated season. Just for fun, I mailed it to him later, autographed by my uncle and me. Who knew he would actually need the "Good luck in your endeavors!"?

Other fact: It was my infant son that Michael Gordon trash-talked. Just so you know.

Possibly disturbing fact: Once thought it would be funny to teach my toddler to say "Roll Tide!" We practiced covertly. Then, one day, my wife the Auburn grad walked in. "Roll Tide!" my son said, perfectly. Turned out to be more funny in the conceptual stage.

Tommy Tomlinson

Allegiance: Georgia

Favorite player: The immortal Herschel Walker, who, by the way, is immortal

Possibly disturbing fact: Slept in car one Georgia-Florida weekend after last-minute decision to go to game. Sneaked into Jacksonville University dorms for showers. Thanks for lax security, Jax!